Bay Ridge concert to benefit hurricane victims

November 26, 2012 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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Help for victims of Hurricane Sandy is coming from as far away as Ireland, thanks to the organizers of a charity concert taking place on Nov. 30.

The Dublin City Ramblers is the band headlining a special concert, “Bands for the Beach,” to be held at Saint Patrick’s Church Auditorium on Fourth Avenue and 97th Street at 6:30 p.m. All of the proceeds from the concert will be donated to grass roots organizations in hurricane-ravaged areas of Breezy Point and Rockaway Beach, according to the organizers.

The super-storm hit the music community hard, said Cait McDonagh, one of the concert organizers, who said the musicians identify with the pain and the sense of upheaval felt by the hurricane victims.

“Another band on the bill, Indaculture, lost all of their equipment in a house fire in the Rockaways on 130th Street, the same house the New York Post made their front cover the days following the hurricane,” she said.

The concert “is very special, because all of the bands and volunteers have personal ties to the beach areas,” McDonagh said.

Many of the musicians either come from the Rockaways or Breezy Point, or have played in pubs there, she said.

Organizers are expecting upwards of 600 people to attend the show Friday night.

The groups slated to perform at the concert also include The Von Shales, Breezy Grass, and The Narrowbacks.

For information on the concert, visit www.bandsforthebeach.com.

The charity concert is another example of how Bay Ridge’s arts community has stepped forward to help the hurricane victims.

Earlier this month, brooklynONE Theater and Film, a troupe co-founded by Anthony Marino and the late Bay Ridge eagle columnist Tom Kane, held a benefit concert called “Seasons of Love” and donated the funds it raised to the Brooklyn Community Recovery Fund. The fund was established by Borough President Marty Markowitz and Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Carlo Scissura to assist victims of Hurricane Sandy.

“We raised over $3,000 toward the Brooklyn Community Foundation Recovery Fund, and collected a huge pile of supplies and food to be distributed,” Marino said. The concert, which featured brooklynONE members singing Broadway show tunes, also featured a performance by popular Bay Ridge musician Frankie Marra.

The arts community has also come together behind the stove to help the victims. Karen Tadross, executive produc er of Ridge Chorale/Jeff Samaha Productions, is one of the driving forces behind the Bay Ridge Cares Kitchen, an effort in which she and other artists like musician Justin Brannan, have joined forces with and well known chef Alison Robicelli. Tadross, Brannan, Robicelli and an army of volunteers cook hot meals for delivery to residents in hurricane-stricken areas.

The volunteers, who cook the meals in the kitchen of Saint Mary’s Orthodox Church on Ridge Boulevard, have made more than 5,000 dishes since the effort began, Brannan said.